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    <h1>Motivation</h1>
<p>In a recent study by the sustainable software institute it was found that 7 out
of 10 UK researchers would not be able to carry out their research without
software:
<a href="https://www.software.ac.uk/blog/2014-12-04-its-impossible-conduct-research-without-software-say-7-out-10-uk-researchers">www.software.ac.uk/blog/2014-12-04-its-impossible-conduct-research-without-software-say-7-out-10-uk-researchers</a>.
This is certainly applicable in mathematics:</p>
<ul>
<li>Numerical mathematics makes use of software to implement algorithms;</li>
<li>Pure mathematics often makes use of software to identify and/or verify
  conjectures;</li>
<li>All fields of mathematics use software to communicate the work.</li>
</ul>
<p>When software is used it can be done in such a way that is not easily repeatable
and verifiable. For example, a recent study identified an alarming number of
errors in genetic research (20%) due to the use of Excel:
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/08/26/an-alarming-number-of-scientific-papers-contain-excel-errors/?utm_term=.9a71f62fa32c">www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/08/26/an-alarming-number-of-scientific-papers-contain-excel-errors/?utm_term=.9a71f62fa32c</a>.</p>
<p>The purpose of this workshop is to introduce best practice so as
to ensure this won't occur.</p>
<p>Here are a number of sources that provide excellent guidance and references on
these issues:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1409.0367">"Share and Enjoy": Publishing Useful and Usable Scientific Models</a></li>
<li><a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1504.00062">"Top Tips to Make Your Research Irreproducible"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002802">"Ten Simple Rules for the Open Development of Scientific Software"</a></li>
<li><a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.08205">"Re-run, Repeat, Reproduce, Reuse, Replicate: Transforming Code into
  Scientific Contributions"</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27552985">"Gene name errors are widespread in the scientific literature."</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/guide-to-reproducible-code.pdf">"A Guide to Reproducible Code in Ecology and Evolution"</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Here are two organisations with further sources and information:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.software.ac.uk">The Sustainable Software Institute</a></li>
<li><a href="https://software-carpentry.org">Software carpentry</a></li>
</ul>
<p>(NB if you were to write a paper about some research software you have written
these would make good references.)</p>

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